Labor’s Environment Minister Dr Miles is ‘miles from nowhere’ on the facts when it comes to LNP calls for common sense management of state parks.
Shadow Environment Minister Stephen Bennett said Dr Miles was deliberately making false claims about what the LNP had been calling for.
“He’s miles-from-nowhere when it comes to the facts,” Mr Bennett said.
“I’ve been calling for fair and sensible review for 78 leases that have been caught up in Labor’s new legislation contained in the Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Bill.
“I’ve called for the holders of these grazing leases to at the very least be allowed to appeal any decision on their leases being cancelled because Dr Miles wants to refuse them even that basic right.
“We are not talking about grazing in World Heritage Listed National Parks, and we’ve not talking about building Las Vegas-style gaming palaces at Binna Burra – he’s made that up.
“We are talking about leases in forests that have been sustainably grazed by some families for generations, including the Mayne family of Carnarvon, who have attained the highest levels of accreditation for sustainability.
“Their seasonal grazing activities definitely help reduce dangerous fuel loads in open ironbark forests that help prevent dangerous wildfires from destroying everything.
“Dr Miles completed his doctorate in union encouragement, but perhaps he could be encouraged to undertake another PhD in handling the truth.
“Nowhere have I been calling for casinos in national parks as Dr Miles claims, and nowhere does Dr Miles say anything about his sneaky plan to deny the right of appeal as should be allowed when any legislation, any Minister, any government takes away the rights of any individual.”
